


#winners on main

by silent_academy (white_silence)



Series: songs, skates, & supernovas [2]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime), 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Cats, Character's Name Spelled as Viktor, Crack Crossover, Everyone Has A Quirk, Gen, Social Media, They Have Anger Issues, Updates Sundays, You Know I Had To Do It To Em, Yuri Plisetsky Swears A Lot, do not copy to another site, seriously this is verging on being a straight up chat fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-16
Updated: 2019-03-24
Packaged: 2019-09-20 21:42:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17030535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/white_silence/pseuds/silent_academy
Summary: Now, logically, a budding figure skater and an aspiring hero shouldn't be friends.But the real world doesn't care much about logic, so Yuri and Katsuki hit it off like dynamite, and take the world by angry, angry storm.(Or, The One Where Bakugou and Yuri are Bros!)[On temporary hiatus. Don't worry— I will not abandon this fic!]





	1. 1: local skater makes a friend

**Author's Note:**

> Hello and welcome to the MOST cracked out thing I've ever created, sponsored by Grey (my enabling best friend) and a bunch of my You Can Call Me (Idol) readers! That being said, you do not have to read YCCMI to understand this, but reading this might help you understand YCCMI. After all, this fic explores not only Katsuki and Yuri's relationship, but also Katsuki and Izuku's.
> 
> I appreciate you taking the time to check this out. Hope you enjoy!
> 
> —Blizzard

Yuri Plisetsky has never been a well-liked child.

There’s countless reasons for that. He’s too poor and too angry and he’s a bastard whose mother left him, following in the footsteps of the father he’d never known. He throws himself into dancing and skating because that’s all that gives him any reward, and at night, he trolls the hero forums on the battered desktop his grandpa bought him as a birthday gift. Yuri knows he’ll never be a hero, but it’s fun to pretend.

Pretend he’s normal. Pretend he doesn’t _hate_ his Quirk. Pretend that the people he occasionally sees in chat rooms online would be his friends.

One night, after an awful day at practice that was split between tripping over his step sequences and trying in vain to get stupid Viktor’s attention, Yuri stops having to pretend.

He’s not doing anything abnormal. He’s just on the East Asian forums of Global Hero Now, which he is definitely _not_ doing to practice his Japanese skills for the sake of that older skater with his name, _nope!_

Somehow, this is what changes everything.

On Monday, July 30, 20XX, at 09:23 MSK, All-Might_All-Night_1⭐ posted a poll:

**_WHICH ALL MIGHT COSTUME IS THE BEST?_ **

_Bronze Age: 11%_

_Silver Age: 34%_

_Gold Age: 13%_

_Current: 42%_

**Voting is still open! Would you like to join?**

Y/ **N**

Yuri presses no, because despite the man’s fame, he doesn’t know enough about All Might to differentiate between his hero costumes. Instead, he decides to read the comments, absentmindedly rubbing a bruise on his thigh as he goes.

exo-exo replied on Monday, July 30, 20XX, at 09:41 MSK:

_I think his debut costume was the best, honestly._

**_(All-Might_All-Night_1⭐ and 201 others upvoted this.)_ **

All-Might_All-Night_1⭐ replied on Monday, July 30, 20XX, at 09:43 MSK:

_Oh my god, I can’t believe I forgot about that, just kill me now!!_

**_(exo-exo and 46 others upvoted this.)_ **

alexa-play-despacito replied on Monday, July 30, 20XX, at 09:45 MSK:

_nahhh the color scheme was tacky_

**_(exo-exo, Lord-Explosion-Murder, and 81 others downvoted this.)_ **

Lord-Explosion-Murder replied on Monday, July 30, 20XX, at 09:48 MSK:

_excuse me??? that costume is iconic??? legendary??? you—_

Yuri has to go translate the rest of the sentence. Apparently, the person had said “complete fucking idiot.” He happily adds this to his personal dictionary and keeps scrolling.

All-Might_All-Night_1⭐ replied on Monday, July 30, 20XX, at 09:50 MSK:

_I wouldn’t say it like that, but Locchan is right! How can you forget the scene of him saving all those people with the fire in the background?? Without the costume it wouldn’t be the same!_

**_(Lord-Explosion-Murder, SILENT-SOUND ⭐, and 17 others upvoted this.)_ **

alexa-play-despacito replied on Monday, July 30, 20XX, at 09:56 MSK:

_damn fine i’ll go elsewhere_

Lord-Explosion-Murder replied on Monday, July 30, 20XX, at 09:58 MSK:

_ya that’s what i thought—_

Yuri has to go look this one up too. They had called alexa an “ignorant, balled-up straw wrapper.” Clearly, this person is a treasure trove of insults, so he goes into their profile and starts looking through their posts and pins. They've written a good amount of rants featuring the "Number One Hero" (that's probably why they're friends with that All-Might_All-Night_1 dude). Fanboy mentality aside, all the posts are peppered with new and exciting curses. The blond scrawls them in a little notebook, proud of his learning skills, but what he sees next makes him freeze.

The next post has nothing to do with the Japanese hero scene and everything to do with Yuri’s world of ice skating.

It’s a video of stupid Viktor, twirling in the center of a frozen pond. He's clearly younger _—_ long, silver hair is spinning behind him. As he moves, the ice rises and falls like the ocean's surface, glinting a thousand different colors under the moonlight. Snowflakes scatter with each gesture of his hand.

Lord-Explosion-Murder has pinned it with the comment, _“okay from what i’ve seen of this guy he’s got a super strong quirk so why isn’t he a hero??”_

Yuri scowls. Viktor’s Quirk, Cryo Core, _is_ extremely powerful. And since he lives in Russia, he has no shortage of freezing weather to use his bloody magic on. Lately, though, his Quirk has been less in-your-face; whenever Viktor takes the ice, it doesn’t glitter the way it used to.

Still, Yuri has had about enough of people idolizing Viktor, so he sends the post back to Lord-Explosion-Murder and says (in his most careful Hiragana), _“Viktor Nikiforov is too selfish to be a hero.”_

He’s not expecting a response, but he gets one anyway.

PRIVATE MESSAGE FROM Lord-Explosion-Murder. ACCEPT?

 **Y** /N

**Lord-Explosion-Murder: you know that guy?**

_puma-tiger: yes i am his rinkmate._

**Lord-Explosion-Murder: rinkmate??**

_puma-tiger: i train with him. we are both figure skaters._

**Lord-Explosion-Murder: oh cool**

**Lord-Explosion-Murder: so what did the asshole do**

Oh, explaining this is going to be hard when Yuri isn’t fluent in Japanese and the other person probably doesn’t know a word of Russian. If worst comes to worst, there’s English, but… yikes. Yuri kind of hates English. After a minute to gather his thoughts, he types:

_puma-tiger: he thinks because he is famous he can do anything. he wastes his money on useless things. he is forgetful. even with promises._

_puma-tiger: oh, and he likes dogs more than cats._

**Lord-Explosion-Murder: ugh kill him then**

_puma-tiger: every day i consider stabbing him with my knife shoes. one day i really will.  
_

**Lord-Explosion-Murder: i support you**

He then sends a picture of an incredibly grumpy cat. It’s jet black and has a brilliant pair of blue eyes.

Yuri squeals and responds with a picture of his dear cat, Sasha.

From that moment on, the world isn't the same.

-

The next day, Yuri is so tired he can barely keep his eyes open. He confuses a Salchow and a toe loop, skates into the boards on multiple occasions, and calls Mila by her _real_ name instead of "Baba."

("Is our little Yuri possessed?" Viktor asks Georgi out of the corner of his mouth. The dark haired skater shrugs and returns to typing out a long-winded love letter.

Yakov nearly busts a vein. But Yuri doesn't care.

He's too busy thinking about what's waiting for him online.

A friend.)


	2. 2: local hero-wannabe now has TWO buddies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, hello! I'm back at it again.
> 
> World-building junk:
> 
> As of right now, Katsuki, Yuri, and Izuku are all 12 years old. Viktor is 24 and starting to slip into depression (That's why Yuri notes his Quirk is starting to act differently. It's tied to his emotions.) Yuuri is 20 and is currently broke as FUCK in Detroit (with Phichit!). While most of the skaters are still skaters, Seung-gil is a hero.
> 
> As of right now, Izuku still thinks becoming an idol is a good career path. About 12 years later, when YCCMI is set, he'll realize this isn't the case.

All things considered, Bakugou Katsuki is a blessed child.

His parents are as supportive as they are rich and unhinged. His Quirk is incomparable. His best friend is a cheerleader and a bullshit filter all at once. Plus, where school is concerned, teachers love him, homework is easy, and he has a crowd of lackeys to do his bidding.

Yup, Katsuki has it pretty damn good.

Currently, he’s up late, scrolling through Global Hero Now and texting Izuku on the side. It’s extra difficult because the forums are full of the hero fanboy’s posts, so the blond sometimes responds to the wrong thought.

His phone pings once more. This message is completely off the rails.

**Canary: so i think i’m going to debut in two years**

_Sparky Sparky Boom Boy: i’m sorry you’re WHAT_

**Canary: get some damn glasses! I! AM! GOING! TO! DEBUT! OFFICIALLY!**

_Sparky Sparky Boom Boy: shut up i read that just fine i’m just_

He’s just what?

Katsuki stares out his window, face bathed in the soft glow of his two screens. His best friend, Midoriya Izuku, had perhaps the most unexpected Quirk in the history of Quirks. His mother had telekinesis; his father could breathe fire.

And what did Izuku end up with? A fucking _singing Quirk._

At first, Katsuki had been a little worried. Sure, any Quirk was better than being Quirkless, but Izuku had wanted to be a hero, and that really wasn’t going to happen with peppy ol’ Sparkling Aria for a power. Izuku had fallen into a depression over it, too, at least until some rich guy had spotted him performing on a street corner and demanded that he join a prestigious record label.

Now Izuku was trying to become an idol. Katsuki didn’t know jack shit about all that stuff, but he _was_ happy for his friend, who had thus far been an overworked trainee and occasional shadow artist.

He sighs and finishes his message. _i was just surprised. happy for you though_

**Canary: yeah you better be!**

**Canary: finally, kemuri will let me out of the trainee dungeon**

_Sparky Sparky Boom Boy: congration you done it_

**Canary: don’t meme at me, i hate you**

**Canary: btw am i still canary in your phone?**

_Sparky Sparky Boom Boy: yeah and you still have me stuck as sparky sparky boom boy! fuck you!_

**Canary: wwwwwww**

**Canary: anyway you’ll have to change it soon because we’ve decided my stage name is gonna be dekiru! besides it’s so morbid, can’t believe that you nicknamed me that for those poor birds they killed in the coal mines!**

_Sparky Sparky Boom Boy: listen i was 8 and i thought you were gonna be my lookout in the future let me LIVE! they’re fucking SONGBIRDS anyway! they SING!_

**Canary: your justification weakens by the day ugh i’m going to bed**

**Canary: but pin my latest analysis on best jeanist!**

_Sparky Sparky Boom Boy: sure nerd_

**Canary: shut up aries**

Katsuki rolls his eyes so hard they hurt and tosses his phone aside. He’s almost tempted to rant that he’s on the cusp of being a Taurus, but that’s a whole ‘nother can of worms. Instead, he turns back to GHN, raising an inquisitive eyebrow when he realizes he has a new direct message from puma-tiger.

Ah, yes, his Russian twin. Katsuki has spoken to this person a grand total of three times now, each chat vaguely homicidal and interspersed with cat pictures. It’s such a simple dialogue that Katsuki never has to think about his words. He kinda likes that.

**puma-tiger sent you a video:**

_[The screen is blurry, but eventually focuses on a man with silver hair. He’s transitioning from a series of complicated steps to a jump, but something goes wrong on the take-off, and he finds himself falling. Before he can eat shit, the ice shoots up to catch him. The rapid shift in the rink surface causes a red-headed girl to go flying right into the boards. She recovers and starts to screech at the first skater, who laughs sheepishly and waves her off, still wrapped in an icy embrace.]_

**puma-tiger: i had to steal georgi’s phone for this but here's more proof that viktor is the world’s biggest asshole.**

_Lord-Explosion-Murder: okay i feel a little bad for that girl but that was funny as FUCK_

**puma-tiger: everything is fun and games until yakov makes us do suicides.**

_Lord-Explosion-Murder: ouch  
_

_Lord-Explosion-Murder: also are all your rinkmates crazy? because that’s the impression i’m getting_

**puma-tiger: sometimes i feel as if i am the only sane one here and i am half stupid viktor’s age.**

_Lord-Explosion-Murder: valid. and does that mean we’re the same age?_

**puma-tiger: if you are 12 then yes.**

_Lord-Explosion-Murder: cool that means if we stacked on top of each other we could probably beat the shit out of viktor_

**puma-tiger: good plan. i approve.**

He then sends a picture of a cat with a rifle.

Katsuki covers his mouth to muffle his laugh.

Yeah, Izuku is his best friend, but Puma is rapidly becoming second-in-line.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YCCMI readers, there's your explanation for the Canary thing ^^
> 
> Katsuki and Izuku's ridiculous conversation is brought to you by my talks with one of my best friends. She's an Aries, so... yeah.
> 
> Well, now that the intros are out of the way, we can move on to more shenanigans! 
> 
> Anyway, please tell me what you thought!


	3. 3: learning curve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What is up, my dudes? This chapter features even more social media and one of my favorite headcanons, Deaf!Katsuki.

“Again,” Yakov says impassively after the fifth time Yuri crashes to the ice.

Swearing under his breath, the blond picks himself up and brushes the frigid slush off his clothes. Why the hell can’t he land this combo? He’s landed a quad, for fuck’s sake. If he can’t do this, he might as well _quit._

Yuri’s side aches. His ankle and knee are starting to twinge. But he can’t stop until this routine is perfect.

His family needs the prize money.

Viktor sweeps in, looking between Yakov and Yuri with a hopeful expression. The coach sighs and impatiently gestures for the ditzy man to get on with it.

“Yura, you need to watch your arm position! That’s why you keep falling!” Viktor chirps. He claps and the ice under their feet lights up, shining turquoise under the arena lights.

Yuri grinds his teeth so hard he’s sure one of his molars cracks. He wants to tell Viktor to go fuck himself— he doesn’t need the “living legend” to help him. Instead, he sullenly mutters, “Don’t call me Yura,” and skates to the center of the rink.

Viktor and Yakov clear the junior skater’s path. Yuri takes a deep breath, hearing the music echo in his head, and starts to dance.

He moves across the ice like he’s floating, transitions into a tight spin that makes him dizzy, and when he exits it, launches into the jump combination that’s been troubling him so. Viktor’s voice flits through Yuri’s mind, and scowling, he heeds the advice.

He lands the double-toe, triple-toe.

The rest of the routine passes in a blur. There’s not as many jumps as Yuri would like, so it’s ridiculously easy. He spins into his final pose, glaring sharply at Viktor as he does.

Viktor either doesn’t know that he’s being cursed or he doesn’t care, because he speeds over and wraps Yuri in a tight hug. Hissing, Yuri flexes his fingers. Before his claws can extend, Viktor releases him, cheering,

“I knew you could do it! Good job!”

Yuri hates the warmth that spreads through him at the words. Retracting his claws, he skates to the boards. He’s done for the night.

Yakov catches him before he leaves. “Your PCS is still lacking. Would it kill you to not act like every little thing is an inconvenience, boy?”

 _Yes,_ Yuri sasses internally. Out loud, he says, “Sorry, Coach.”

He glares out the window the whole way home.

 

-

 

Late at night, when his grandfather is fast asleep, he returns to GHN. There are no messages from Lord. In fact, there haven’t been messages for a while. Yuri is starting to worry.

Biting his lip, he scrolls through a few threads. All-Might_All-Night_1⭐ is back at it again with their hero industry rants (these ones, surprisingly, are not about All Might, but rather about how female heroes are treated by the media).

_Wait a second. When I met Lord, didn’t they call him “Locchan?” That’s a diminutive like “Vitya” or “Yuratchka,” right? Maybe they’re friends…_

Yuri opens a chat window and sends a quick message.

**puma-tiger: you are friends with Lord-Explosion-Murder right?**

_All-Might_All-Night_1⭐: yup. are you one of the people trying to get him banned? because i know he acts like an asshole but he’s actually pretty alright_

**puma-tiger: ...no i just haven’t heard from him in a while and i wanted to know if he was okay.**

_All-Might_All-Night_1⭐: oops never mind all that then. he was… uh… in an accident. he’ll be okay, though! it isn’t life threatening_

**puma-tiger: oh. thank you for the information.**

_All-Might_All-Night_1⭐: yeah no problem by the way what’s your zodiac_

What the fuck. Yuri has to go Google this, because he’s never once given his star sign a thought.

**puma-tiger: ...pisces?**

_All-Might_All-Night_1⭐: cool he’s an aries so you have great compatibility. bye!_

Yuri blinks at his screen. After a moment, he shuts off the monitor and goes the fuck to sleep.

 

* * *

 

About a week later, Yuri finally gets to talk to Lord again.

PRIVATE MESSAGE FROM Lord-Explosion-Murder. ACCEPT?

 **Y** /N

**Lord-Explosion-Murder: i lived bitch**

_puma-tiger: thank god. what happened to you? your friend said you were in an accident._

**Lord-Explosion-Murder: funny story**

**Lord-Explosion-Murder: i got into a fight with some upperclassmen, the reason is not important**

_puma-tiger: and they put you in the hospital?! press charges!_

**Lord-Explosion-Murder: actually, no, i put myself in the hospital**

Yuri pinches the bridge of his nose and types, _“what.”_

**Lord-Explosion-Murder: so my quirk is called explosion… and explosions are really, really loud… suffice to say i blew out my own eardrums and i’m. uh. deaf now**

_puma-tiger: i’m sorry.  
_

_puma-tiger: didn’t you mention you wanted to be a hero? will this affect that?_

**Lord-Explosion-Murder: eh don’t be, i knew it was a possibility. my dad has the same quirk and also suffered some hearing loss. and i’m not planning on giving up my fucking dream, try again!!**

_puma-tiger: that’s the spirit. hey are you going to learn the hand signs now?_

**Lord-Explosion-Murder: yeah my best friend’s going to learn with me**

The next day, Yuri goes to the library and checks out five different books on sign language.

 

* * *

 

Practice goes well for a few days. Season is right around the corner, and everyone is obsessed with fine-tuning their choreography. Except, annoyingly enough, for Viktor, who is cycling through no less than _three_ different exhibition programs.

“Georgi,” he whines during their break. “I don’t know which routine to choose!”

“Well, which one shows your love?” the dark haired skater asks.

Yuri rolls his eyes hard enough to rupture his blood vessels and returns to his book. He’s trying to sign the alphabet five times through without mistakes. Thus far, he’s been left to his task, but of course, the peace can’t last forever.

“Ooh, what are you doing, kot—”

Yuri bares his fangs at his seniors, snapping, “Finish that word and I will tear out your throat.”

Georgi raises an eyebrow, clearly about to respond, when he catches sight of the book.

“You’re trying to learn sign language! How nice! My aunt was born Deaf, so if you ever want to practice, you can sign to me!”

That’s… surprisingly nice. Yuri might actually have to thank Georgi. _Gross._

“Why are you learning sign language?” Viktor asks innocently.

“Because.”

“Regardless of the reason,” says Georgi, trying to ward off a screaming match, “it’s good to know sign language. I only wish we had a universal type. It’s impossible to sign to my friend in America…”

Yuri drops the book. “Sign language differs by country?”

“Yes? Just like spoken and written language?”

The blond presses his lips together and tries very hard not to scream.

 

-

 

Lucky for Yuri, the last part of his day goes right. Having secretly saved for the better part of the year, his grandfather presents Yuri with a smartphone before he goes to bed.

Yuri screeches incoherently and nearly tackles the poor old man to the floor. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

Wheezing, Nikolai replies, “You’re very welcome, Yuratchka.”

Yuri scrambles off his grandfather and promptly creates several social media accounts. He also makes sure to download the Global Hero Now app.

His first Instagram post is a picture of Sasha stuck in a shoe box, with the caption, “she fits, she sits.”

Two days later, Yuri gets followed by someone with the handle localized-explosion. It sounds oddly familiar, so he DMs them his favorite reaction image: the cat with the rifle.

The response is a snapshot of a cat with blue eyes and black fur, who looks decidedly unimpressed, and a text in Japanese.

**localized-explosion: knew i'd seen that cat before. what the fuck is up, puma?**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes!!
> 
> The wiki lists Nikolai as Yuri's paternal grandfather and his mother's profession as (quite ironically) idol. But for this fic, he's Yuri's maternal grandfather and his mother is a model.
> 
> I'm not being subtle at ALL about what Yuri's Quirk is, but you'll find out the particulars of it in a few chapters.
> 
> I'm very new to skating, so forgive me for not knowing how to choreograph programs... I'm trying, I swear, but Google can only teach you so much.
> 
> In case it wasn't obvious, All-Might_All-Night_1 is Izuku. He and Yuri message every so often, but they're not close friends.
> 
> Viktor was about to call Yuri "kitten."
> 
> Yuri tried so hard to be supportive, but he got nerfed by his own worldly inexperience. Amazing.
> 
> See you in two weeks! Drop a comment!


	4. 4: growth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, everyone! Have 1500 words of these kids being ridiculous.

The cool thing about Puma getting social media is that Katsuki can now bother him _all the damn time,_ provided they both have data. It’s especially convenient because GHN keeps going down for maintenance.

Currently, Puma is sending him a string of Snaps detailing today’s practice session. Katsuki has determined from these messages that everyone in Russia’s ice skating circuit is A) abnormally attractive, and B) _batshit insane._ How does Puma survive around these people?

Another Snap comes in, but this one doesn’t look like it was taken by his oddball internet friend. It’s of that red haired girl (Katsuki is 90% sure her name is some variation of the word “Baba,” although he’s also certain that “Baba” is an insult) holding a tiny blond boy over her head. The caption is in Russian.

Katsuki has no idea what the fuck is happening.

 **dude did someone steal your phone?** Katsuki asks, sending him a photo of his hand extended in a confused gesture.

 _it was viktor,_ Puma replies. _have i mentioned how much i hate him? because i HATE him._

**i know. what did the caption say?**

_“hi kitten’s friend!! i don’t know who you are but he sure messages you a lot! anyway here’s a picture of mila lifting him~”_

**holy shit, that was you?? you’re tiny!!**

_shut up. my size makes me a better skater. growth spurts can ruin you._

**shutting up now,** Katsuki says. After a minute’s deliberation, he sends a picture of him making a vaguely apologetic face. It’s the first selfie he’s ever sent, and he hopes dearly it isn’t a mistake.

 _are your eyes red? that’s badass,_ Puma replies, and that’s… that’s actually the best compliment Katsuki’s ever gotten.

 

* * *

 

 _Perhaps_ for the sake of someone else, Katsuki starts learning Russian. His parents clearly think it’s a weird hobby, but they indulge him anyway. The explosive boy holes himself up in his room, surrounded by textbooks, and tries valiantly to understand the Cyrillic alphabet.

It’s hard. Katsuki finds himself cursing before he’s even halfway through one of the books, and ends up watching ice skating instead. He’s not giving up (Bakugou Mitsuki did _not_ raise a fucking quitter); rather, he’s taking a well-deserved break.

Not that anything he’s watching makes sense. The point system looks totally arbitrary. For some reason, there’s an area called the “kiss and cry.” Plus, some of the performances are _really_ pretentious.

(Except that Swiss guy’s. That one is just… graphic. Katsuki needs to douse his brain in bleach.)

Equal parts confused and intrigued, Katsuki hops online in an attempt to figure out what’s going on with the routines. Apparently, every jump had a base value, and that weird traffic light system signified if the value was reached. Red meant there was a deduction. The segments between the jumps were called step sequences. They looked strangely like dancing, and came in levels. The higher the level, the harder the sequence was.

Wild. Understanding this is probably going to take extended study…  but, well, Katsuki’s good at that.

Said study eventually leads him to various federation websites. Apparently, Japan has only one male skater that’s any good, and Katsuki nearly dies laughing when he sees they share a name. (Almost share, anyway— the second character in the skater’s last name doesn’t match the one in his first name, but that’s neither here nor there.)

The Russian Federation website is practically a shrine to Viktor, so Katsuki leaves. The Italian Federation’s was designed by someone who clearly didn’t know color theory, the Swiss Federation has far too many risque photos, and okay, you know what? Katsuki’s officially out. He’s going to troll social media for information like any _respectable_ kid in his generation.

This new search takes him to fanpages. Katsuki is somewhat interested by this; he’d only seen fanpages dedicated to heroes before today. He finds that the Japanese fans seem to be the quietest— evidently, the other Katsuki was a very private guy— but the most loyal. Viktor’s fans are the most vocal and the most widespread; he has accounts dedicated to him in every language under the sun. The Kazakhstani fans are few and far between, and the ones for a Canadian skater are truly obnoxious.

Snorting at these “JJ Girls,” Katsuki messages Puma via Instagram.

**localized-explosion: why does that canadian skater have the world’s most annoying fans**

_snow_tiger: before i say anything i need you to know that i would sell jean-jacques leroy to satan for a bite of borscht._

**localized-explosion: do you hate everyone you meet? genuine question**

_snow_tiger: can you blame me? they are all so stupid._

And alright, Puma has a point there.

**localized-explosion: you are valid. anyway continue?**

_snow_tiger: oh, yes, they are all in love with him for some reason. he’s quite ugly so i don’t understand why._

Privately, Katsuki thinks that JJ isn’t all that bad looking, but he’s not about to say that. Instead, he writes,

**localized-explosion: i see. are your fans crazy too?**

_snow_tiger: ...unfortunately. viktor says they will only get worse in the future and after seeing some of his fans, i believe him._

**localized-explosion: [f]**

_snow_tiger: no, really, stay away from those people. it’s for your own safety._

Katsuki is about to hunt for accounts chronicling the exploits of an angry blond, but his parents call him down to dinner, and he forgets all about it.

 

* * *

 

When the weekend comes, he and Izuku find themselves hanging out.

It’s a rarer sight than it once was. These days, it seems harder and harder to find time to get together. These days, Izuku is at the Kemuri building more often than he isn’t, and Katsuki is busy juggling his academics, his self study, family therapy sessions, and the absolute morons that think they deserve his time.

But today, they’re curled up on Katsuki’s bed in comfortable silence. Izuku is playing a crappy Pokemon simulator on his laptop and alternately scrolling through GHN, which is surprisingly available today. He scowls viciously at the screen, and after a minute, he shuts the laptop.

“What pissed you off?” Katsuki asks, evaluating Izuku’s mutinous expression.

“There’s somebody in this thread who’s actually trying to argue that Quirkless people should be exterminated. I put in a ban request, but what I really want to do is beat the shit out of them—”

“With these limp noodles?” teases Katsuki. He pokes the green haired boy’s slim arm and nearly gets his finger bitten off as a result.

“Shut up,” Izuku grumbles, “I can totally kill someone if I put in the effort.”

“And what a great fuckin’ deal of effort that’ll be,” sings Katsuki mockingly. Izuku grabs his pillow and hits him in the face, which results in a wild scuffle. The battle only ends when Izuku’s laptop slides off the bed and into oblivion.

“Well, shit,” Katsuki mutters. “Hope that’s not broken.”

Izuku sighs and flops down, his head in the blond boy’s lap. “It’s fine if it is— it was on its way out.”

Shrugging, Katsuki lets one of his hands migrate into Izuku’s wild nest of hair. The boy hums softly, accepting the uncharacteristically gentle petting. In the meantime, Katsuki starts watching another segment of the recent Grand Prix. In the subtitles, the commentators seem to be going wild over the skater’s jumps, though the blond doesn’t quite understand why. Every jump looks the same— very fancy and very dangerous. He can really only spot obvious mistakes, like a wobble in the skater’s knee, or a graceless crash to the ice, but when they start talking about “under-rotating” or “changes to the choreography,” Katsuki is lost.

However, there _is_ a simple way to sort his shit out. All he has to do is open Instagram and DM Puma.

**localized-explosion: i have a pressing question**

_snow_tiger: and what would that be?_

**localized-explosion: what the fuck is the difference between your fancy ice skating jumps**

**localized-explosion: i literally can’t tell ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯**

_snow_tiger: i think it must be hard to tell if you are watching and not doing. but they are different. for some, you take off with the inside edge of the blade…_

“Kacchan, who are you talking to?” Izuku asks, pulling his attention from Puma’s long-winded explanation.

Katsuki jabs the power button, making his screen go dark. “No one. Don’t worry about it.”

“Was it a girl?” Izuku teases. “Did you finally respond to a confession?”

Before he can consider the consequences of his actions, Katsuki says, “I don’t think I like girls.”

Izuku falls silent. Katsuki hesitantly withdraws his hand from the freckled boy’s hair, wondering if he’s going to freak out.

“Is that weird?” he asks, a foreign wave of insecurity rising in him.

“If you’re weird, I am too,” Izuku replies. “I, um. I like both. Boys and girls, I mean.”

“Oh.”

They sit in silence for another moment before Izuku complains, “Keep petting me, asshole!”

Katsuki snorts and tosses his phone aside to completely ruin the other boy’s hairstyle.

Izuku is too busy screeching at an unholy pitch to ask about the messages again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes, notes~
> 
> If anything in that vague description of how skating works is off, tell me. That's just how I've been interpreting things when I watch the Grand Prix (I, much like Katsuki, know jack shit!).
> 
> I actually have no clue what the real federation websites look like, so no shade intended (especially not to Italy. I just really hate Michele Crispino and it may have spilled over into an innocuous description).
> 
> I think Izuku would be furious on behalf of Quirkless people, despite having a Quirk in this 'verse. It's that heroic spirit.
> 
> See you in two weeks! Thanks for reading!


	5. 5: tragedy, redux

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning for (non-explicit) animal death in the beginning of this chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone! This is a really emotional chapter. Sorry about all the angst.

Things have been going well for Yuri, which is why it shouldn’t surprise him that today turns into the worst day of his life.

He comes home from practice and immediately notices that something’s wrong. There’s no _meow_ of greeting, no jingling of a bell as his cat comes to play with him.

< Sasha? > he calls in the way only he can. There’s no response.

Yuri drops his bag and starts searching for his grandfather. He finds Nikolai sitting in the living room, conspicuously alone.

“Dedushka? What happened? Where’s…”

His grandfather looks up at him. His expression can only be described as _heartbreaking._ “Yuratchka…” he says softly, “Sasha’s gone.”

“She ran off? No way. And even if she did, she’d come back.”

“No, Yura… do you remember how off she’s been acting? I’d been meaning to take her to the vet, but…”

This doesn’t sound good. Yuri takes a few steps back, feeling a chasm open inside his chest. Undeterred, Nikolai continues, “She collapsed this morning, shortly after you left. I’m sorry, Yura— there was nothing I could do.”

“You’re lying,” Yuri croaks. Tears spill over his cheeks. As he says it, he knows he’s being foolish. His grandfather would never lie about something like this. It would be too cruel.

The grief threatens to eat him alive, threatens to suck him into that chasm until he swallows himself up. Yuri hides in his room for the rest of the night. He refuses to reappear for dinner, instead choosing to stare at the wall and self-flagellate. How could he have missed this? Had he really been so busy at practice that he’d neglected his dearest companion? And she, too, had never indicated that she’d been in pain… 

How much had Sasha suffered while Yuri dreamed of gold?

He curls under his covers and doesn’t come out, even when night shifts into day and Yakov starts calling him, wondering why his best junior skater is skipping practice.

 

-

 

Viktor barges into the Plisetskys’ shitty apartment after practice ends, calling, “Yuri! Where were you? We missed your grumpy face!”

Nikolai intercepts him and starts explaining what happened in hushed tones. Knowing that Viktor is going to come bother him regardless of the old man’s efforts, Yuri drags himself out of bed and makes his way toward the living room.

When Yuri catches a glimpse of Viktor’s face, he's surprised to see that it’s uncharacteristically serious. The man nods, and although Yuri can’t tell what it is, he knows that the figure skater is pressing something into Nikolai’s hand. Nikolai opens his mouth to protest, but Viktor ignores him.

Ah. He’s caught sight of Yuri.

“There you are,” the living legend says. He crosses the room in a few quick strides and pulls Yuri into his arms. The boy in question is too tired to stab Viktor and shove him away, so he accepts the coddling.

Viktor releases him, saying, “I’m so sorry, Yuri. Yakov was really angry, earlier, but I’ll defend you. If something happened to Makka, I don’t know what I’d do.”

Yuri shrugs listlessly. In a rare display of emotional competence, Viktor ruffles his hair and leaves, only pausing to add, “Come back whenever you’re ready.”

Yuri doesn’t know when that’ll be.

 

-

 

Surprisingly, the answer is “within two days,” all because of Lord. He messages out of the blue, saying,

**Lord-Explosion-Murder: you okay? you’ve been quiet lately**

**Lord-Explosion-Murder: you don’t have to say anything but like… i’m here if you wanna talk**

Yuri finds it in him to reply, _my cat died. i wasn’t even there for her._

**Lord-Explosion-Murder: i’m so fucking sorry dude that must be horrible**

**Lord-Explosion-Murder: the cat that hangs around me isn’t even mine but if she stopped coming over i’d be fucked up about it so i can’t imagine**

With more honesty than he’s ever spoken with, Yuri types, _lord, i don’t know what to do. i haven’t gone to practice since it happened. i have a tournament approaching and i don’t know how i’m going to compete._

**Lord-Explosion-Murder: then why don’t you skate for her?**

_puma-tiger: huh?_

**Lord-Explosion-Murder: like skate in her honor. make sure she’s never forgotten. that’s a skater thing right? putting your feelings into the program?**

Yuri returns to practice the next day, mulling it over as he glides across the rink. Lord is right. He _could_ dedicate a program to Sasha. But there’s a problem: the current choreography doesn’t suit his pint-sized friend.

So Yuri starts doing something he never thought he’d do: he takes a page out of Viktor’s book and begins tweaking his long program. He only practices the altered version in the rare moments when he’s alone, but slowly, the new motions etch themselves into his bones and muscles.

 _For you,_ he thinks morosely, staring into the darkness. _For you._

 

* * *

 

Yuri’s nerves are alight with anxiety on the day of the free skate. People don’t notice, and why would they? He’s in first place by such a wide margin that he’d probably be able to sit on the ice for four minutes and still medal. But he’s not going to do that, no— Yuri’s planning on unveiling the remastered program for the first time.

The loudspeakers blare, “Representing Russia, Yuri Plisetsky.”

He takes off his blade guards and staunchly ignores Yakov as he skates to the center of the rink. The crowd obediently shuts up as the music starts, and he’s off.

The first component arrives in no time at all. Yuri changes the jump composition to mimic the way Sasha would coil up and pounce, landing it with far more ease than he normally lands jumps. He’s got the feline grace necessary for it, after all. Will it earn him a deduction?

He doesn’t know and he doesn’t care.

The program flows on, and Yuri waltzes into his step sequence. His steps are tiny and light, like the pat-pat of Sasha’s paws when she was trying to sneak up on him. He always knew she was there— he knew her _so well._ He enters a spin and pops out of it with his fingers curved like claws.

Yuri remembers the way Sasha would knead on his lap when she wanted attention. He remembers how she would curl up on his chest when he was sad or frustrated and purr him to sleep. He remembers running through the building with her, ducking and weaving around obstacles, laughing at the people who cursed at them. It aches, but…

His new ending pose is reminiscent of the three-point landings some heroes do. But in Yuri’s mind, it mimics the way his cat would land after she leapt from a high surface. His vision blurs, and he drops his head so no one sees his shattered expression.

The crowd _explodes,_ flinging gifts down upon the ice. Yuri falls out of the pose, narrowly avoiding slicing his thigh open with his blade. The impact hurts, but that isn’t why he loses the battle with his tears.

After twenty seconds trickle by, he picks himself up and moves toward the Kiss and Cry, ducking to grab a little cat plushie as he does. He methodically puts on his blade guards, hobbling over to the seats with Yakov grumbling behind him.

“…don’t know what that was, boy, but your PCS is the highest it’s been this season. Just don’t make a habit of this; I can’t handle another Viktor.”

“Don’t compare me to him,” Yuri replies, but there’s no heat in the words. Wiping the tears off his face and focusing on the scoreboard, he wraps his arms around the cat. In his peripheral vision, he spots the judges discussing something with surprised expressions. One of them signals an announcer, who goes on to say,

“The score for Yuri Plisetsky is… 155.02 points! Combined with his short program, that gives him a score of 236.03! It’s a world record!”

Yuri bows his head. Good. Sasha deserved no less.

 

* * *

 

**localized-explosion: how’d it go**

Yuri sends him a picture of the gold medal and goes back to cooking. His phone has chimed no less than three times when he finally returns to it.

**localized-explosion: fuck yeah!!**

**localized-explosion: i’m proud of you and i’m sure your cat is too**

**localized-explosion: i bet she’s looking down on you and thinking she had the most kickass owner ever**

_snow_tiger: thank you. i changed the program for her. maybe some parts of it looked strange because of that but i think no one cared._

**localized-explosion: well yeah you fucking won!!**

_snow_tiger: not just won, i broke a world record. do you know what’s funny, though? i wasn’t trying to this time._

Yuri shuts off his phone and takes the pirozhki out of the oven. He has to figure out a way to deliver this to Viktor without the little asshole ever figuring out who did it.

After all, Yuri would never live it down if that man knew he was grateful to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This probably answers the question of "Uh, isn't Yuri's cat's name Potya?" Canonically, yes. So never fear: Potya is on her way!
> 
> Viktor has one out of his three brain cells dedicated to emotions, and he used it well today. The "thing" he gave Nikolai was money for a new cat. However, Nikolai has bills to pay, so it won't serve that purpose. Oops.
> 
> Yay, Katsuki has grasped comfort! Go him. The cat that comes to visit him is the one with black fur and blue eyes mentioned in C1. She's actually one of Aizawa's cats, and she likes to hop trains and wander around the city.
> 
> Yuri's program score is based off of current world records.
> 
> There are more hints as to Yuri's Quirk in this chapter!
> 
> See you in two weeks! Drop a comment!


	6. 6: first impressions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, hello! Nice to see you again!
> 
> Timeframe: There was a little skip between this chapter and the last one. Yuri and Katsuki are both 14 now, so you already know what's happening next: the canon events of YOI and Katsuki's acceptance to UA. However, the latter event will be occurring off-screen.

It’s twelve in the morning, and Katsuki is still quietly seething over the events of the day. Note to self: never make a fucking bet with Izuku again.

The blond shudders. He can’t believe that he ended up on the idol’s debut album. Hopefully his dumbass friend will never get popular— wait, no, that’s cruel of him to say. He should probably be fucking… supportive or whatever. But still! He never wants to rap again. What is he, a twelve-year-old on Soundcloud?

His phone pings, and Katsuki practically fucking dives across his bed to grab it. Thank god for timely distractions.

Unless it’s Izuku. Fuck, what if—

PRIVATE MESSAGE FROM puma-tiger. ACCEPT?

Oh, All Might is looking out for him.

 **Y** /N

**puma-tiger: we got grand prix series assignments today.**

_Lord-Explosion-Murder: good or bad?_

**puma-tiger: good, i think. one is in japan. the nhk trophy.**

**puma-tiger: so, do you wanna come and see?**

Puma didn’t even have to ask. Katsuki is already scrambling for his laptop. Where does one buy Grand Prix tickets? Damn, he probably should know that at this point.

_Lord-Explosion-Murder: what city is it in?_

**puma-tiger: musutafu. it’s their first time hosting, apparently.**

_Lord-Explosion-Murder: no fucking way that’s my hometown!_

**puma-tiger: really? that worked out well.**

**puma-tiger: i’ll get you tickets and a special pass.**

_Lord-Explosion-Murder: that’s fucking awesome but who am i supposed to be cheering for, again?_

Because stupidly enough, even though he and Puma know each other’s faces, even though they’ve been speaking for years… they don’t know each other’s names. And Katsuki does not want to be the dumb bitch who loses his shit over every blond skater, because he’s _pretty sure_ there’s more than one.

**puma-tiger: oh. i am yuri plisetsky.**

_Lord-Explosion-Murder: cool name. mine’s bakugou katsuki._

_Lord-Explosion-Murder: or wait it’s given name first in russia, so katsuki bakugou_

**puma-tiger: i looked it up and your last name means explosion. very fitting. anyway can we skype tomorrow? it can be practice for when we finally meet.**

_Lord-Explosion-Murder: yeah sure call when you get back from training_

**puma-tiger: speaking of which, i am very tired. good night. i’ll see you tomorrow.**

Katsuki sits and stares at the chat log long after Yuri has fallen asleep. Huh.

…it looks like he might have some explaining to do.

 

-

 

Skype is taking an infuriatingly long time to load, which is really testing what’s left of Katsuki’s patience.

He’d just sat through a lecture about stranger danger from his mother, who hadn’t taken kindly to the fact that he’d been casually chatting with some random kid for two years. Halfway through, though, it had changed to a blubbery spiel about how glad she was that Katsuki was making more friends. Both conversations were annoying as hell, and in short, he is _very close_ to blowing up his laptop.

He takes a deep breath. _No, Katsuki,_ he reminds himself. _You cannot destroy your laptop and break into the Midoriyas’ to steal Izuku’s new one. If you do that, the old hag will refuse to let you skip school for the NHK Trophy, and god-fucking-dammit, if this piece of shit doesn’t LOAD—_

The call connects.

“Fuck yeah!”

“Watch your fucking language!” Mitsuki hollers from downstairs.

“You first!” Katsuki retorts, turning to the screen, and wow, okay. There’s Yuri, looking at him with a very amused expression.

“You and your mother are very similar, aren’t you?” The skater asks.

Katsuki thinks about making a crack like, _"Yeah, we both have anger issues, which is why our dysfunctional ass family goes to therapy every week."_ Instead, he smirks and asks,

“Is that how you open all your conversations, or am I special?”

“Extremely special.”

They stare at each other in perfect silence before bursting into laughter. As he watches the screen through crinkled eyes, Katsuki notices a few things that he hadn’t seen in their occasionally exchanged selfies or videos. Yuri’s hair is such a light blond that it looks like wheat. His skin is pale, far paler than Katsuki’s own. And his teeth are _really_ fucking sharp, what the _hell—_

“Dude,” he says, “you have fangs.”

Yuri blinks at him. “Yes…? It’s because of my Quirk.”

Ah, yes, the Quirk that Yuri had never talked about before. Katsuki had privately wondered for a couple months if the other boy was Quirkless, but in a surprising show of restraint, he’d kept himself from mentioning it. But now Yuri's bringing it up, which means Katsuki has the license to ask.

“By the way, what is your Quirk? You’ve kept me guessing.”

“If I show you, you have to promise not to tell anyone,” the skater warns.

“Yeah, yeah, pinky swear and all that.”

Yuri glares at him, and in a split second, his features… shift. His eyes become a muted green, their pupils constricting and lengthening to slits. His ears change shape, becoming pointed, almost _feline._

“You’re a fucking cat,” he says in shock.

The skater hisses at him, folding his arms. At this angle, Katsuki can see that his fingers are tipped with claws. “Don’t sit there and state the obvious!”

“I don’t know whether to laugh or cry at how much sense this makes. Like, dude, this explains _so much_ about you,” Katsuki continues, ignoring Yuri’s irritation.

“I will shove this computer off the desk.”

“No, you won’t!”

Yuri mutters something that sounds suspiciously like _“Of course I wouldn’t. How could we buy a new one?”_ Instead of elaborating on that, though, he sighs and says, “I can change fully if I try, but I don’t like to.”

“Why not?” Katsuki asks. The hero nerd in him, although not as obsessive as the one in Izuku, is already thinking up ways that Yuri could use his Quirk in combat and rescue situations. It’s a damn good ability—

“When I was younger, I got stuck,” Yuri suddenly says, looking away from the camera. “I was trapped, I couldn’t change back, and everything was just… huge. Terrifying. I never wanted to shift again.”

“Oh, shit.”

“It’s been better, lately. Because of Sasha. She used to make me change so we could play.”

That’s depressing. And despite all of Izuku and the therapist’s efforts, Katsuki is not good with feelings other than pride and absolute rage, so he blurts, “It’s still a cool power. You could've been a great hero.”

“You and your heroes. I don’t want to fight villains; I want to skate!” Yuri retorts. His features melt into something far more human as he says this.

“Valid. And, hey, speaking of skating,” Katsuki says, having just remembered something _hilarious,_ “since I’m Katsuki and you’re Yuri, if you put us together, we’re just like that skater from Hasetsu.”

From the look of total shock on his face, this had not occurred to the Russian boy. Then the implications hit him, and his face turns the approximate color of a strawberry.

Oho?

“Oh my god, do you have a crush on the other Katsuki?” The hero hopeful teases. “Holy shit!”

Yuri spends the next ten minutes chewing him out in Russian. It’s time well spent.

 

* * *

 

The day of the NHK Trophy arrives in a swirl of brisk wind. Katsuki buries his face into a scarf, knowing it’ll be colder inside the arena and lamenting his misfortune anyway. He absentmindedly wishes his Quirk allowed for heat distribution, but sadly, if he activated it, his palms would be the only part of him to warm up.

(Also, he’d probably get arrested for unlicensed Quirk usage.)

His phone pings with a message as he worms his way through the crowds and into the stands. After the blond finds a seat, he checks his notifications.

**Dekiru: are you really skipping school for three days? kacchan what the hell**

_Sparky Sparky Boom Boy: ✔ SEEN 01:48_

**Dekiru: it’s not one in the fucking morning! what are you doing?**

_Sparky Sparky Boom Boy: dunno, it’s one of life’s mysteries. now shut up and do some math for me, nerd_

**Dekiru: i swear to god i’m telling the whole school you’re a rap legend**

_Sparky Sparky Boom Boy: try me, bitch. i’ll send your company that video of you ranting about the evils of capitalism. see how they like you then_

**Dekiru: I HATE YOU SO MUCH**

Katsuki grins and shoves the phone back into his pocket, turning his attention to the ice. The competition is about to start.

Although all the performances are interesting, he’s really only here for one person. He keeps an ear out for the name he’s come to know well in the past couple of days, and straightens when he finally hears it.

“…from Russia, Yuri Plisetsky!”

A small figure skates to the center of the rink, flaxen hair trailing behind him. As he watches, Katsuki can’t help but think, _God, he’s fucking tinier in person._

Well, that’s not the point. He has some cheering to do. With a flourish, Katsuki unravels the banner his father had helped him work on and shouts, “Юрий! Удачи!”

Yuri whips around and catches sight of him. Katsuki grins, letting a tiny explosion pop in his palm in greeting. The banner nearly catches fire, but it’s worth it, because…

Slowly, Yuri smiles, wider and brighter than he ever has before. Fans and commentators alike cry out— they never thought they’d see the day that prickly Yuri Plisetsky did anything other than scowl.

(A fangirl takes a picture of this and tweets it to her massive amount of followers. Over the next few days, theories run rampant in the figure skating fandom as Angels try desperately to discover the cause of their favorite Junior’s smile.)

In the moment, though, that’s pretty irrelevant. After all, Katsuki gets to see his friend crush the competition.

In person.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The bet Katsuki lost to Izuku was mentioned in Chapter 8 (9 in the index) of YCCMI. You can use your imagination for whatever the bet actually was; the point is, Katsuki was forced to record a song, and Izuku thought it was hilarious.
> 
> Yuri and Katsuki don't have priorities, apparently. They really just... forgot to ask each other their names for two years.
> 
> There's Yuri's Quirk! It's called Panthera, and he inherited it from his father. He can turn fully into a cat (he's a gold Siberian Forest Cat!) but he usually sticks to partial shifting, ie. claws and fangs. It also allows him to communicate with every animal in Family Felidae. But as a result, he has to eat a certain amount of raw meat (for taurine) and his senses are a little different from a regular human's.
> 
> Anyway, Yuri didn't mention the other reason he tends to hide his Quirk: the Angels are really, really weird about him and cats already. He doesn't want to add fuel to the fire.
> 
> No, Yuri doesn't have a crush on Yuuri. He just hates admitting that he actually admires someone.
> 
> If I recall correctly, the NHK Trophy was from the 27th-29th of November in the 2015-2016 season. I'm using recent timelines even though this is set in the nebulous future. Because science, I don't know.
> 
> Drop a comment!


	7. 7: bullshit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone! Sorry about the impromptu hiatus. I was working on a major project for class. But I'm back now!
> 
> This chapter signals the segue into YOI canon, as well as a sideplot mentioned in YCCMI. Everyone, get ready for **Operation: Fake Dating (Which is Barely Dating Since We Live in Different Countries)!**
> 
> Note: Katsuki is partway through his first year at UA. 
> 
> Note 2: I've edited portions of the last chapter to reflect my headcanon that the Bakugou family goes to therapy. It's obvious to me when I write my works, so I never think to point it out, but... yeah, they go to therapy. They need it.

Yuri has never been more confused in his life, nor has he ever been more _furious_ _._

“Yakov,” he snarls, “what the FUCK do you mean, Viktor’s gone to Japan?!”

“That idiot boy has run off to chase Katsuki!” His coach growls, taking a swig of coffee like a shot.

“But— but he promised he would choreograph for me!” Yuri shrieks. He knows he sounds like a petulant child right now, but he can’t help it! That stupid, fucking, _worthless—!_

Yuri shrieks again, and this time it pitches into the yowl of a displeased cat. He storms out of the rink, ignoring Yakov’s calls.

 

-

 

**snow_tiger: katsuki, skype me right now. i’m frothing at the mouth.**

Yuri sends this text as he’s sitting in the airport. He kicks his suitcase to the beat of his heart, feeling his fangs dig into his lip. He can’t believe Viktor flew to Japan because Katsuki— oh, fuck, this is too confusing. _Yuuri—_ decided to skate that crappy program in his name.

He also can’t believe that he’s _following_ the bastard.

_localized-explosion: hoo boy okay_

**_Incoming call from Katsu-bomb…_ **

Yuri hits accept, and Katsuki’s face fills the screen. He looks uncharacteristically ruffled, as if he’d been training before Yuri had interrupted him. The skater feels a twinge of regret at the sight, but he pushes it aside. He needs to Scream™.

“You will not fucking believe what Viktor did,” he hisses in lieu of a greeting.

“Fucking hit me, dude. I promise it can’t be any crazier than the shit I’ve been through this year.”

“Okay, okay, you know how the Grand Prix Final ended recently? I won Juniors, Viktor won Senior Men’s, and Mila won Senior Women’s?”

Katsuki nods. “Yeah, I streamed the whole thing. You did great. Wish you could’ve done quads, though.”  
  
“Me too,” Yuri scoffs. “But I _didn’t,_ because I bet Viktor a long time ago that I wouldn’t put quads in my programs until I was in Seniors. In return, he’d choreograph a program for me, maybe even coach me. But what does the fucking idiot do? Instead of keeping his promise, HE GOES TO JAPAN BECAUSE THE OTHER KATSUKI DOWNED 16 FLUTES OF CHAMPAGNE AND TOOK OFF ALL HIS CLOTHES!”

Everyone in the vicinity hushes him at once. Fuckers. At least they didn’t know what he’d said— he’d be getting more scandalized looks if that were the case.

On his screen, the hero hopeful gapes at him. After half a minute passes, he croaks,

“I’m gonna need some context for that.”

Yuri pinches the bridge of his nose. “After the final, there’s a banquet, right? It’s so fucking boring, literally, it’s just an excuse for sponsors to schmooze and for winners to flaunt their medals. But Yuuri— I’m going to call the sorry bitch Yuuri; he doesn’t deserve your name— got really drunk. Because he lost, you know?

“So he started challenging everyone to dance-offs, and then that pervert Giacometti brought out a _pole,_ and Viktor’s stupid ass fell in love! But Yuuri ghosted him… or so we thought until this video of him skating Stammi Vicino surfaced.”

“Stammi Vicino, Viktor’s program?” Katsuki asks, his red eyes wide.

“Yeah. Viktor took it as a love letter, the _loser._ So he fucked off to Hasetsu to be Yuuri’s coach. And I’m going after him.”

“Back up,” Katsuki says, “You’re coming to Japan?!”

“Yup,” Yuri affirms, turning the screen so his friend can see the airport. “I’m gonna _drag_ that motherfucker back to Russia.”

“Good luck,” Katsuki says solemnly. “Come see me if you have any extra time!”

Beaming, Yuri nods. Then he shuts off his phone and goes to the gate— his plane is boarding.

 

* * *

 

Several conversations, hours of training, and an impromptu competition later, Yuri is forced to admit that he… may have been overconfident.

Viktor is further gone than he thought. And Yuuri— damn it, Yuri can’t stay mad at him, not when he’s looked up to him for so long. Especially because the piggy is _trying._ He’s trying so goddamn hard to be even half of Viktor thinks of him. He’s trying to be _the skater he should be._

Yuri would be an asshole if he got in the way.

So instead of throwing another fit, he accepts defeat and boards a train to Tokyo. Immediately after arriving, he takes the connection to Musutafu. Yakov can wait a little longer for his precious young Senior to come back— Yuri wants to wallow with his only friend in peace.

Upon pulling into the station, he connects to a cafe’s WiFi and Skypes Katsuki again. The boy picks up after three rings.

“Yuri? What’s up? You’ve been real fucking quiet the past couple of days.”

Yuri huffs out a laugh. “Ugh, there was… a lot.” He glances around and notices that people are staring at him, so he scurries out of the station and into an alleyway. After he’s safely out of sight, he explains,

“Long story short, uh, I fucked up, and I’m going back to Russia.”

“You didn’t convince Viktor to come with you?” Katsuki asks, sympathy leaching into his voice.

“Nah. He’s stuck on that Katsudon, I guess.”

“Pfft— you do know what katsudon is, right? You’re not calling him that for no reason?”

Yuri scowls. “Of course I know what it is! It’s the pig’s favorite food… although I guess I understand why. It’s good.”

“Tch, Izuku’s obsessed with it too. I have no idea why you all like it so much— it ain’t spicy enough.”

“You would eat a ghost pepper if you had the chance, you heathen,” Yuri sneers. “Anyway, I’m in Musutafu. If you have time, do you wanna do something?”

“I’ll have to sneak outta UA, but sure. Let’s fuck it up!”

Yuri doesn’t know what Katsuki does in order to escape the watchful eyes of his teachers and classmates, but he makes it to Yuri, and that does wonders for cheering him up. They spend the day eating sweets and gaming at the arcade. Unfortunately, their euphoria can’t last forever— Yuri has responsibilities half a world away.

Before he rushes to the airport, Yuri snaps a picture with Katsuki and posts it to his public Instagram.

**yuri_plisetsky: i have one (1) fucking thing going for me and that’s that @localized-explosion and i aren’t anywhere near as gross as @v-nikiforov and @katsuki_y.**

 

-

 

Yakov meets him at Pulkovo. He drives Yuri to the Plisetskys’ apartment, lecturing him about being "irresponsible" and "reckless" the entire time. The skater tunes him out, instead choosing to scroll through the massive amount of notifications he has. People are freaking out… over his post with Katsuki?

“…boy, are you listening to me?!”

Yuri waves him off. “I got it, I got it. I won’t do anything like that again. I’ve got Agape, and I’m prepared to win this season. Is that all?”

“So disrespectful,” Yakov grumbles. “When did you become like Viktor?”

“When I became a winner,” Yuri retorts. “But I’ll be better than him— you watch me!”

He storms into his apartment complex without another word, stomping up the stairs and flinging open the door to his unit. When he enters, he gets the shock of his fucking life.

< Hello? Who’s that? >

Yuri shuts the door, half-convinced his ears are playing tricks on him. But then he hears it again.

< Oh! There’s another human! >

A kitten pads into the entryway. She’s so tiny that Yuri could probably pick her up in one hand, and she sniffs at him curiously. Yuri blinks tears out of his eyes, muttering, < Hey. >

< Wow, you can talk to me! > The kitten exclaims. < I didn’t know anyone could! The old man doesn’t know what I’m saying, and neither did the people at the other place. >

< I’m special. > Yuri replies, crouching so he’s almost at the young cat’s level.

(Nikolai slips into the room while Yuri is otherwise occupied. He smiles as his grandson pets the new cat, knowing that he’s made a good decision.)

 

* * *

 

Two weeks pass. In them, Yuri nearly breaks himself into pieces.

His short program, Agape, is difficult as all hell. That's no surprise, considering its creator had gained world records solely off technical difficulty. His free skate, Allegro Appassionato, is no better. It’s by far the most challenging thing he’s ever done, and each day’s practice leaves him so worn out that he snaps like a demon at anyone who tries approaching him. Only his grandfather and the kitten (who he’d named Potya, short for Puma-Tiger-Scorpion) are safe from his wrath.

Today some chucklefuck— who is neither his beloved Dedushka nor his favorite cat— intercepts the blond on his way home. Bad fucking move.

“Whatever you want, save it!” Yuri says, seconds away from baring his teeth. The man lifts his hands in a show of peace.

“Sorry for bothering you, Mr. Plisetsky. I’m a representative from Mellow, the sportswear brand? In lieu of your new relationship, we’ve decided to offer you a sponsorship deal…”

If Yuri had been drinking water, he would’ve spit it out. “Because of my _what?”_

“Your relationship with Katsuki Bakugou, the aspiring hero in Japan?”

Several things click into place at once. The veritable explosion on Angel fansites, the constant stream of comments— it was because people thought he and Katsuki were _together._ The poorly worded caption from that photo had led to the biggest misunderstanding of his career.

Yuri moves to deny the claim, to say that he and Katsuki are just friends, but then he freezes. Mellow is a big brand. And Yuri is poor as shit— he _needs_ the money.

“Thank you for this opportunity,” he says woodenly. “I’ll… need to speak with my coach.”

“Of course!” The representative chirps, glad that Yuri is listening to him and not clawing out his fucking eyes.

After all is said and done, Yuri calls Katsuki at three in the morning.

“What the fuckin’ shit do you want?” Katsuki slurs. “The hell…”

“Katsuki, I need you to date me.”

There’s a very loud _boom!_ and then a dial tone, which likely means that Katsuki's blown up his phone. Wonderful. That sums up the past month of Yuri’s horrible life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love mayhem :')
> 
> Also, I forgot that Yuri is actually from Moscow, so assume he and Nikolai both moved to St. Petersburg.
> 
> Drop a comment! See you in two weeks!


	8. 8: tangled webs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, the Grand Prix Final is coming! Are you ready?
> 
> In other news, this is probably the longest chapter in the fic. Wild.
> 
> Thanks for 145 kudos! I'm glad so many people found this idea fun.

Katsuki mentally runs through a checklist of everything he requires to Not Die At UA. His homework is done— he’d finished it all by 8:00. His bento is neatly tucked into its own pocket. He’s wearing his fifty-second pair of hearing aids. Now all he needs is… his phone.

His phone, which has become all the more important now that he's in a fake relationship maintained through social media.

 _Fuck,_ Katsuki thinks, hurrying out of the dorm and snapping a photo of the sunrise. He posts the picture to Instagram with the caption **the new day would be better with you.** The young hero doesn’t bother tagging Yuri; the three thousand followers he’d gained overnight will know damn well who the vague post is directed at.

This is a strange situation, to put it lightly. Katsuki had never thought twice about dating before, and he’d certainly never expected his first relationship to be a farce for fucking sponsorship money. He’d be pissed about it if more people in his life were aware of what was happening, but surprisingly, he’s managed to keep a lid on the festering disaster. No one from UA has his social media handles, and the only person in 1A that cares about ice skating is Yaoyorozu, who keeps a respectful distance from the athletes’ personal lives.

In short, his parents are the only ones who know about the harebrained scheme (they’d laughed about it for twenty minutes when he’d called them, the _assholes_ ), and that’s the end of it.

 _Although,_ Katsuki thinks wryly, _Izuku will probably find out soon. And he’s gonna lose his mind when he does._

He enters the classroom. Aizawa is nowhere to be seen. For that matter, neither are the rest of his classmates— save for Todoroki, who is listlessly staring out the window. Katsuki’s sure that something is up with the Discount Thermostat, but he’s not sure what it is.

(Or why he cares.)

“What the fuck is wrong with you,” Katsuki announces sharply, which is a crude way of inquiring about Todoroki’s well-being. The other boy startles and whips around, his bi-colored hair fluttering through the air like Perisama butterflies.

“I— nothing, Bakugou,” Todoroki stutters. “When did you get here?”

“Five minutes ago. Don’t you think you should be more aware of your surroundings if you’re going into heroics?”

When Uraraka and Iida enter the room, they find Todoroki glaring at Katsuki. The steam rolling off the stoic boy’s skin has filled the left side of the room.

“Um,” Iida says, “is there a problem?”

Katsuki clicks his tongue and pulls out his phone, refusing to answer the pointless question. Glasses can shut up and whine about it.

_Ugh. My new photo already has a thousand likes. Don’t Yuri’s fans have better things to do?_

 

* * *

 

Katsuki is cooking dinner for his hapless classmates when his phone rings with a Skype call. In a distracted daze, he hits _accept,_ then starts rummaging through the cabinets in search of chili flakes. _Motherfucker, did Satou rearrange everything during one of his stress-baking binges? Where in hell's name—_

 _“BAKUGOU KATSUKI,”_ shrieks his phone. _“YOU BETTER EXPLAIN YOURSELF RIGHT NOW!”_

Katsuki drops an entire box of garam masala into his curry. Dammit. There went Izuku, flipping his shit.

Kouda runs into the kitchen. “Who was that? What’s going on?” he signs frantically, looking around.

“It’s my friend,” Katsuki grinds out. “Shit— watch the curry for me, Kouda. And get the box I dropped out of the pot!”

He snatches up his phone and hurries to his room. Once he’s safely inside, he peers down at the screen. A very unimpressed Izuku is staring at him in accusation.

“Hey, Canary,” the blond says, kicking his door shut behind him. “Your wings are lopsided.”

Izuku jerks back in surprise. “They are? Wait— no, they aren’t! Momoi did my makeup! That woman would never let me near a camera with sloppy wings! For that matter, neither would your dad!”

“I know! I just love messing with you,” Katsuki cackles.

“You’re trying to distract me, but it won’t work! Riku just told me you’re dating an ice skater! What the hell?”

“Ugh, this is gonna be a long story. But, uh, we’re not really dating.”

“Oh my— elaborate. Now.”

“Do you remember my friend puma-tiger from Global Hero Now?”

Izuku tilts his head. “Puma, puma… oh, the Pisces! Yeah, I remember.”

“His real name’s Yuri Plisetsky. We became friends when I was, like, 12. And a couple days ago, he came to Musutafu. We took a picture together, he posted it on Instagram, and the way he captioned it was… I dunno, weird? So all his freaky fans thought we were together, and then a sportswear brand approached him for a sponsorship, and now we have to pretend to date. Or he’s fucked,” Katsuki tells him.

“The brand will only sponsor him if you two are together? Why?” Izuku asks skeptically.

“They want to support LGBT athletes. Yuri’s actually bi, so it’s not that big of a lie. And you already know I’m into guys.”

“That you are,” Izuku sighs. “I hope you know what you’re doing, though. Fans are _crazy._ Someone tried following me the other day! I had to hide in a cat cafe for three hours!”

“That fucking sucks. I’ve been getting death threats since the announcement, but nothing seems serious. Still... I’ll watch my back.”

“You better,” Izuku warns, his eyes flashing. “I don’t want to look at my news feed and see that you got your eyes clawed out by some random— what are they called? Angels?”

“Yeah,” Katsuki snorts. “But everyone agrees they’re more like devils. Anyway, you better watch your back too, Canary. Take a self-defense class. Get a bodyguard. Buy a gun.”

“Do you think this is America? How the fuck am I supposed to get a gun?”

Katsuki flops onto his bed and starts outlining a ridiculous plan involving espionage and arms dealers.

 

* * *

 

After a long ass day, Katsuki collapses on the common room couch, wincing in pain as he does. This year sucks. This fucking school sucks. If Katsuki wasn’t so stubborn, he probably would have called it quits after the USJ incident and just gone home.

He’d been beaten to hell. _Oh,_ an idiot might ask, _was it during ANOTHER villain attack?_ No, it was during All Might’s Foundational Hero Studies course. He’d been pitted against Todoroki in today’s exercise, and apparently, the unripe strawberry was holding a grudge, because he’d smacked the shit out of Katsuki.

Several times.

The blond pokes at a bruise on his stomach with a dark scowl. Damn. No one in middle school would’ve ever been able to land a hit like that on him. They didn’t have the skill, and they wouldn’t dare to harm their undisputed leader, either. But here at UA, Katsuki wasn’t the best. Actually, as he’d come to realize, he was… just a little above average. There were too many talented kids in his class for him to continue feeding his superiority complex. Half-and-Half, Ponytail, Emergency Exit— hell, even the unassuming Round Face— they were all as strong as he was, if not stronger.

Katsuki closes his eyes. He’s always wanted to win. Now, he’s not so sure he can.

“Bakugou-kun? Er, could you scoot over? I wanted to watch something…” a voice asks. Katsuki cracks open one eye and spots Yaoyorozu. Jirou is hovering behind her.

“Here,” he grumbles, shifting so they have space to sit down. Yaoyorozu turns on the TV and starts flipping through channels. She settles on a familiar sight: America’s NBC Sports, which is currently showing highlights from Skate Canada.

Kaminari wanders into the room just as Yuri streaks across the screen, his black and pink costume stark against the pale ice.

“Oh? What’s this?” the electromaster asks, dropping a bag of gummy worms into Jirou’s lap.

“Ice skating!” Yaoyorozu chirps. “These are just snippets, though. It seems that I missed the actual broadcast.”

Katsuki hums vaguely. The subtitles indicate that the announcer is laughing about “a mishap in Vancouver.” The fuck does that mean?

The camera focuses on Yuri as he settles in the Kiss & Cry, and Katsuki Suddenly Understands™.

“Oh, boy,” the blond says, “he’s pissed.”

Yaoyorozu gives him a strange look. “How can you tell? He looks perfectly composed.”

Katsuki muffles a laugh. Composed? No, he’d seen Yuri’s rage too many times to be fooled by the mask of calm. Judging by the angry slash of the skater’s pupils and the slight furrow between his brows, the tiny Russian is barely holding in a scream right now. Now, if he could just see why— ah, there’s the scoreboard. Yuri had placed below the literal bane of his existence: Jean-Jacques Leroy of Canada.

“He’s not composed at all. He’s contemplating murder— oh, look. There he goes.”

The arrogant Canadian says something to Yuri that the camera doesn’t catch. Yuri rears back and starts shrieking in Russian. Yakov hauls him away before he can attack the older skater and get himself arrested for assault.

“That didn’t sound good,” Jirou comments.

“It wasn’t,” Katsuki replies, stealing some of the girl’s gummies. “He called Leroy ‘a fool that can’t tell his asshole from his mouth.’”

“Dude! You speak Russian?” Kaminari says delightedly.

“I’m a man of many talents,” the explosive boy says, casually neglecting to mention the hours of practice (and swearing at his textbooks) he'd put into learning the language. “Anyway, I’m gonna throw in a load of laundry. Tell me if Plisetsky got disqualified— I wouldn’t put it past him to have jumped Leroy’s stupid ass in the parking lot.”

As he leaves the room, he overhears Yaoyorozu saying, “I’m surprised that he’s interested in skating. It’s rather unexpected of him, don’t you think?”

Katsuki snorts. If only she knew…

(As it is, Yuri doesn’t get disqualified. He keeps his silver from Skate Canada and goes on to win a gold at Rostelecom. Well, that’s bloody fantastic. Now Katsuki has to persuade UA to let him fuck off to Spain.)

 

-

 

A few days before the dawn of the Final, Katsuki plans to stay after class. He has a pressing question to ask Aizawa: _Can I dip?_ He runs through different sentence starters as the others pack up their things— what’s the least hostile way he can bring the matter up? Katsuki isn’t really sure. His preferred method of asking for things is _demanding them,_ usually with curses interspersed, but that isn’t going to fly with the notorious Eraserhead.

The bell rings, and 1A practically tears out of the room. Damn. It’s go time— Katsuki better say something, quick. But before Tsuyu’s long hair has disappeared ‘round the corner, Aizawa turns to him.

“What do you want, problem child?” the pro hero asks flatly.

“I didn’t say shit! How did you know—”

Aizawa lets out a long-suffering sigh. “You’ve been extra nice today, and you keep looking at me like you have something to say. Go on. Spit it out.”

“I need to leave school,” Katsuki promptly says. Only a second after the words leave his mouth does he realize how they could be misconstrued. Whoops.

Aizawa gapes at him. “You want to leave UA?”

“God, no! I mean… I have to go somewhere. For a couple of days.”

“Is it a family emergency?”

“It's a very good friend emergency,” the blond hedges. The Grand Prix Final is a big deal, so technically, it _is_ like an emergency, right?

“Fine. Do you have paperwork? Signed affidavits from your parents?”

“Affidavits? Is this court?” Katsuki grumbles, but he produces all the papers without a fuss. For good measure, he also pulls up the confirmation of his ticket purchase.

“Alright. I’ll speak to the principal about it, but I have a feeling that you’ll go no matter what we say,” Aizawa says.

“You would be right.”

“Oh— get out of here, you brat! And by the way, stop feeding Mato when she comes to see you! She’s already overweight!”

Katsuki can’t help but snicker as he leaves the room. “Never! She loves me more than you!”

(Aizawa briefly considers quitting his job.)

 

* * *

 

Following a long flight (in which he 1) got so annoyed by a shrieking toddler that he took out his hearing aids, 2) burned himself on crappy food, and 3) nearly killed his seatmate for falling asleep on him), Katsuki arrives in Spain. He finds his way out of the airport, beat up bag in hand, and sends a quick message to Yuri.

**localized-explosion: what’s up asshole i just landed in barcelona. where are you**

_snow_tiger: your school let you come? really?_

**localized-explosion: trust me i was shocked too. now turn on your location**

_snow_tiger has sent a location pin._

_snow_tiger: i actually can’t wait to see you._

_Aww… Yuri managed to be sweet for once._ Katsuki sends a quick prayer to the gods of technology and pulls up Google Maps. This is going to take some finagling, but he’ll manage. He has a friend to see, after all.

Two hours later, the blond finds himself knocking on the door of a hotel room. There’s no answer, and Katsuki wonders if he somehow read the room number wrong. Then someone flings the door open.

“Katsuki!” Yuri says cheerfully. “I fucking missed you. Now get the hell in here before those she-demons come back.”

“She-demons?” Katsuki asks, entering the room. He drops his bag when he sees another person perched on the bed. Who in the shit? Said person blinks at him, and then says to Yuri,

“When you said Katsuki, I thought you meant the one from Japan.”

“Technically, I am also Katsuki from Japan,” Katsuki points out. “Who are— oh, wait. You’re Altin, aren’t you? The ‘dark horse’ from Kazakhstan?”

Otabek Altin nods at him. “Yes. It’s nice to meet you…?”

“Call me Bakugou if it makes it easier. Also, Yuri, _really._ What did you mean by she-demons?”

“Angels. Who else? I was minding my own business, and they decided to chase me through the city,” Yuri complains. “Otabek saved my ass.”

“Thank you for helping my boyfriend,” Katsuki says solemnly. And shit, that’s the first time he’s actually said the word out loud. It’s… awkward, to say the least.

Judging by the way Yuri screws up his face, he doesn’t like the sound of it, either. “Katsuki, don’t be fucking weird.”

“Hah?! I’m only doing this because of you!”

Otabek looks between them with an expression reminiscent of a confused puppy. “Somehow, it feels like an entire conversation went over my head…”

 _Buddy, you have_ no _idea,_ Katsuki thinks. Out loud, he says, “Maybe so. Hey, does someone wanna introduce me to Viktor? I wanna fulfill my childhood dream of hitting him with a baguette.”

 

-

 

Quite unfortunately, Katsuki meets Viktor, but does not get to hit him with a baguette. Instead, the elder skater drags him outside and gives him the shovel talk with a serene smile on his face. Katsuki wanders back into the restaurant they’d been eating at, shell-shocked and nursing frostbitten fingers.

“Are you okay?” Yuri hisses.

“Oh, I'm fucking awesome. And Viktor’s a ball of sunshine and rainbows and _icy terror,”_ Katsuki replies, shoving his cold hands into Yuri’s pockets. The other boy yowls and leaps out of the hero’s reach.

“You sound like a cat,” Otabek comments.

“What’s a cat? I’ve never heard of them,” Yuri lies right through his teeth. Every person who knows what Yuri’s Quirk is stifles a cackle. Every person who has ever met Yuri rolls their eyes.

Otabek, bless him, chooses to ignore how dumb that sentence was. “I have a cat,” he says instead. “His name is Lint.”

“Lint? Isn’t that kind of mean?” Katsuki asks.

“My little sister named him. She said she decided to call him that because he’s 'dark gray and soft.' I can barely ever follow her thought processes, to be honest.”

“Still better than what Yuri named his cat—” Katsuki chokes when Yuri elbows him.

“Her name is Potya, and it’s a _perfectly normal name.”_

“Why the fuck are your elbows so sharp, goddamn it—”

Otabek laughs. “You two have a strange relationship, don’t you?”

“Well, we became friends because we’re both angry as fuck,” Katsuki replies, prying Yuri’s clawed fingers out of his jacket. “I think we were doomed from the beginning.”

“Yup,” Yuri affirms. “Race you back to the hotel!”

He bounds off. Katsuki shrieks and sprints after him, leaving Otabek in the dust.

From the entrance to the restaurant, Yuuri calls, “Wait! Don’t do— oh, you won’t listen. Just be careful! You have a competition tomorrow!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's so funny writing Shouto and Izuku in this and knowing where they'll be in ten years, lol.
> 
> I don't know where in YOI!Canada Skate Canada was held, so... Vancouver it is.
> 
> Mato is the name of Aizawa's wandering cat. Also, I _really_ love Aizawa.
> 
> I don't know how to write Otabek... I'm so sorry...
> 
> I live for Viktor being fiercely protective of Yuuri and Yuri, send tweet.
> 
> I may have messed with the Grand Prix timeline a bit, but it's too late for me to figure out precisely how ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
> Thanks for reading! Drop a comment!

**Author's Note:**

> Drop a comment! Each one sponsors two (2) angry blonds.


End file.
